Distributing head for liquid or semiliquid material



Aug.. 2, 1932. J. c. MacLAcHLAN DISTRIBUTING HEAD FOR LIQUID OR SEMILIQ'ID MATERIAL Filed OO.. 20, 1930 Patented Aug. 2, 1932 UNITED STATES JOHN C. MACLACHIAN, OI' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS DISTRIBU'I'ING HEAD FOR LIQ'DfOR SEMILIQUID MATERIAL Application filed October 20, 1930. Serial No. 489,895.

This invention relates to a drying apparatus, and particularly to a distributing head for delivering material to be dried. In the 'drying method in which the material is sprayedinto a large drying cabinet, it is vdesirable to have material pro'ected into the Cabinet in a very finely divide condition, and

to have a suiicient quantity of material delivered. The invention hereinvdisclosed is in 3.0 some respects an improvement upon that shown in applicants prior Patent No. 1,742,-

4,7 8, granted January 7, 1930, and upon that disclosedin his pending application S. N.

458,025, ledMayBl, 1930. With such dis- 5 tributing heads as shown in said patent application, with certain kinds of'material the material does not pass out to the distributing disk in the desired quantities.

, u It is an object of this invention, therefore,

i@ to provide a distributing head having a surface to which the fluid or semi-fluid material is delivered, a feedingmeans at the central portion of said head, and a spreader device I, for dividing and distributing the material 2 received from the feeding means to the said surface.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a distributing head having a member with a concave under surface, a chamber above 30 the central portion of said member, a feeding means delivering topsaid member, and a disk at the bottom of said chamber having a spreading means thereon for receiving the 05 material and delivering the same to said under surface of said member, substantially without impact.

lt is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a distributing head comprising a member of concavo-convex form, having angularly disposed blades at its outer edge and an under surface adapted to receive material, said member having a chamber abovevits central portion, a pipe delivering material to said chamber, and a disk receiving material from said chamber having radially disposed spaced ribs thereon for spreading the material and delivering it to the concave surface of said member substantially without 5d impact.

These and other ob]ects and advantages of the invention will be fully vset forth in the following description made in connection with theja'ccompanying' drawing, in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and in which z-f- Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the distributing head embodying` the present inveny tion; l n

Fig. 2"is a horizontal section taken 4online l 2 2 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a partial 'view' similanto Fig. 1, showing a modied form of the invention; Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the distributing disk used in the structure shown in Fig. 3

Fig. 5 is a partial view also similar to Fig. 1, showinga further modification; l

Fig. 6 is ya horizontal sectionl taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, as indicated by the arrows and i 7 is stillanother modification. VReferring to the drawing, in Figs. 1 and 2 a distributing head is shown, comprisinga bracket 1,0 adapted to be secured by suitable bolts 11'to the top- 1`2vof a drying cabinet. The bracketlO has bearing portions 10a and 106 adjacent thetop and bottom thereof, in ,75

which are disposed thev bearings 13' illustrated'as ofthe ball bearing type.' A conduit or tube 14 is carried inthe bearings 13 and extends through the lower end of bracket 10 yand through the to 12 of the cabinet, said tube having ysecure to its lower end a distributing 'member 15. Tube 14 is shown as in two parts, threaded together, the 'upper one having a shoulder resting on the lower bearing 13. Themember 15V is threadedvon S" the lower end of conduit`14. Conduit- 14 also hasfs'ecuredthereto a langedpulley 16 adapted' to receive abelt driven from a sluitable motor for revolving the conduit 14. VA 'smaller pipe 17 extends' down throughconduit 14, some distance below the endf thereof, and has secured toV its upperend the hopper or receptaclelS, the ylatter being 4shown as threaded onto tube 17 and resting on top of bearing 10. The member 15 has a vconcaveconveX portion 15a at its lower end, the edge of which is formed in to a plurality of spa-ced and angularly dlsposed blades 15b. Said member also has a' chamber forming dome-like' portion 150 'at its Center, having at its upper end the hub which screws on to conduit 14. Member 15 also has an outer conical portion 15d eX- tending from its upper end to a point intermediate portion 15a. This portion 15d forms a chamber 15e about chamber 150, which acts as an insulating chamber. Adjacent the bottom of chamber formed by portion 150, is a disk 19 having'at its centeran upstanding pr tion 19a terminating in a conical point, said vdisk having ribs 195 extending fromtle bottom conical portion 19a to the edge of the disk, said ribs andthe edge ofthe disk being shown as in one line. 'The member 19 is sup-k ported by a plurality of spaced Vbrackets 2O securedto the under side thereofr and to the yunder side yof portion 15a.

' In'operation thefluid or semi-fluid material will be discharged into the' vhopper b18 andco'nduit 111 andmember l15 will be rotated -at high speed.`V The -material passes downthrough pipe 17 onto'the member 19 and is sprayed and" distributed by said member which is rotating. The material is dig r'vided and urged outwardly by the ribs 19?) andthe material passes fromtheouter edge "of disk 19 between said edge and the under surface of portion 15a of member 15 andis receivpedon under surface substantially without impact. The material is thus formed into a film and passes onto the bladesv 15b. rIhe materialisviiely dividedbyy the action yofthe .blades 15b and the Vaction of the air themen, and is finally' 'discharged ina. very f portion'- 21C' shown as substantially' domelshaped,"and 'forming "apchamber 'above the centrfl Part of Yportion21a. lwe'nrilierY 21 has secured therein adj a'centfthe bottom' of p'o'rtionr2lc,a disk 22. Disk 22' is shown as 'some Vwhat Tconical; in form','=having its 'center higherlfthan its edges the same has fnits upper surface plurality of y'narrow ribs .22a diver'gingjoutwardly from the centralportion "of Adisk v22 substantially radially. 'Ribs A2r2ez""a'lrfe shown as termi'natihg :short of theA center of disk l22. Each `rib 22a. is 'continued 'upwardly adjacent its n 'outer edge and formed into alu'g 22?),which lugs yare externally'l threaded and adapted Ato screw into'the lowe'rhthrea'dedpart of portion 21C.l

As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the inner ends of n zathigh speed and the material will be fed the'retotlifrough the t'u-be 23. The material is received in the chamberin portion 210 and also V-pass'es"'o'ri'toith-'e' disk-22; The vmaterial is divided and distributed by member 22 and the ribs 22a thereon and thrown outwardly to theunder surface of portionl21a. The edge Y of disk -22 entends quite closeto said'under surface and the'material is delivered tovportion 21a substantially without impact. Portion 21a will have blades similar to the'blades 15b lat its 'lower' endl and the Vmaterial is 'divided and discharged from these blades'in very linelydivided condition. y

In Figs. 5 and (ianother form ofdistributor is shown comprising a member 24g illustrated as of concave-convex form, having a cen- Ftral tube211awhich is threaded ontothe low- Yeren-def conduites `confiait 25mn orre- 'spo'nd tothec'o-nduit lshown in Fig. 1 and will, like conduit 14, be 'arrangedf'to be rotated.

The tube 26 extendsintothe conduit 25 'tersame corresponding to tube v17 shown in Fig. 1. The-hub 211e'has'threaded'intoits lower `portion a spreader or'distributing member 27. This member has a disk-'like bottom lportion 27a connected to its'top portion-'byxaiplurality of spaced'n'arrow ribs 27?).4 Membei'QLwill, like member 15, be provided' with "a plurality Yof spaced blades 'at itsoiiter edge, lsimilar to the blades 15?).v l

In operationftlie material is'fe'd rinto the ltube 26, the conduitf25 Y'and member`24being 'rotated at high speed. The'mfaterifal passes into the'chamb'rformed in the `hub' 24'aand the hub of memberVV 27 and Apasses downwardly Yand outwardly 'between the ribs 27?). `-The material will. be divided, 'spre'ad'andpa's'sed outwardly by the member r27 andthe ribs 275 a'ndwill b'e deliveredto'the under surface of vmember 2li substantially viiithoutimpact. The ymaterial passes but to the outer 'edge of'niember24'and is finely discharged inffinely dividedfcondition.

In 7 a modification is shown, comprising 2a member 28 `similar in `alrl"r`espect`s to member 2-1 shown in Fig. 3. AAstationfary feeding pipe129 similarto pipe 23 entends into member 28. Asp'read'e'r or 'distributingnieniber 30 is shownV comprising aiflat diskhafving i ribs 30a disposed as 'are'the ribs'22a of'member 22'shown ini'liigs. 3'an'd Ri'bs30a, however, have their top `edgesparallel with the disk 3() inside of the lugs 30?), which lu'gs'are iiiinating substantially at the lower end of the i latter and this tube will be stationary, the

similar to the lugs 226. The outer ends of ribs 30a incline to the edge of the disk 30, said ribs and edge being in one line.

The operation of the device shown in Fig. 7 is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, except that the material passes along the flat disk 30 and is spread and distributed by the ribs 30a to the under surface of the member 28.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a simple and efficient distributing head for distributing and dividing material for projection into a drying cabinet. The head efficiently divides and projects the material and the material is rapidly delivered to the head from the feeding means. There is no tendency for the material to back up into the feeding pipe, but the same flows continuously out to the edge of the distributing member, giving a` continuous flow and large capacity. In the device shown in Fig. l, chamber 15e acts to insulate the portions 150 and the upper portion of member 15a from the heated air which is blown into the cabinet. The insulating effect eliminates any tendency of milk, for example, to dry on the inner sides of member 15.

The device has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successful and efficient.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the novel parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is l. A distributing head for a drying apparatus having in combination, a revoluble member having a concave under side adapted to receive and centrifugally discharge material, a conduit at the central portion of said member for feeding material, and a disk below said conduit having ribs on its upper surface, said ribs extending outwardly from the central portion of said disk to the edge of said disk, being disposed closely adjacent the under side of said member.

2. A distributing head for a drying apparatus having in combination, a concavoconvex member having annularly disposed blades at its outer edge, a liquid-receiving chamber at the central portion of said member, a central pipe for feeding material to said chamber, a disk carried by said member adjacent the bottom of said chamber and having radially disposed ribs on its upper surface adapted to spread and distribute material to the under surface of said concavo-convex member, substantially without impact.

3. A distributing head for a drying apparatus having in combination, a member revportion, said ribs increasing in height from their inner ends outwardly. n f

4. The structure set forth in .claim 3, said disk sloping downwardly from its center towards'its outer edge. n l

5.V A distributing head for a drying appara-tus having in combination, a member revoluble about a verticalaxis having a surface adapted to receive material to be centrifugally discharged, feeding means at the central portion of l said member, and [a spreadermember spaced from and beneath said feeding means and spaced from said surface comprising a disk having diverging ribs extending outwardly from its central portion, saidv ribs tapering in height at their outer ends to the edge of said disk.

6. The structure set forth in claim 5, the edge of said disk being beveled substantially in line with the inclined ends of said ribs. n

. 7. kA distributing head for a drying apparatus having in combination, a distributing member revoluble about a vertical axis having'an funder surface for receiving material to be centrifugally discharged, a feeding means, and a spreading means spaced from said surface including diverging ribs .extending outwardly for receiving material from said feeding means and delivering said material to said surface substantially wit-hout impact. v

8. A distributing head comprising an intermediate portion havin a chamber therein, a. tubular portion leading upwardly from said first mentioned portion adapted to be `rotated to rotate said head, a plate-like portion carried by said first mentioned portion forming the bottom of said chamber, and having ribs extending inwardly from its edge forming passages therebetween extending outwardly below said first mentioned portion, and a plurality of spaced members extendingl outwardly and downwardly from said first mentioned portion to which material is thrown outwardly through said passages.

9. A distributing head comprising an intermediate portion having a chamber therein, a tubular portion leading upwardly from said first mentioned portionv adapted to be rotated to rotate said head, a plate-like portion carried by said first mentioned portion forming the bottom of said chamber, having circumferentially spaced ribs extending outward yto the edge thereof forming passages therebetween, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced members extending outwardioo 'ly' and downwardly Vat the lower'porticn of said head Ato which the material is delivered and by which it is disintegrated 'in the -rotation of said head.

' 10. A distributing head having in combination, ya. plurality of spaced members eX- tending outwardly and downwardly insubst'an-tially a conical surface for' disintegrating material, andmeans for feeding magl) terial to said members including a central `member having a 'Hat top with circumferentially spaced diverging ribs extending out- Wardly thereon forming passages therebetween, said head having an upwardly eX- 1-5 'tending tubular portion through which material passes to said central member.

' '11. A distributing head having in Acombi'- nation, van intermediate portion having a chamber therein, a plurality of spaced fmem- 20 bers'lextending outwardly and downwardly f at the vlower portion thereofysaid irst'ment-ioned portion having an internally threaded bore, a feeding member having a flan-ge screwed into said bore and having an upper f2.5 surface disposed at the lower part of said chamber having spaced outwardly extend` ing ribs -upstandingthereon forming circumferentially spaced channels through which material is propelled, said -material s() passing to said first mentioned members to Ibe disintegrated thereby. f f' JOHN C. MACLAGHLAN.

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